What is an INTERNSHIP?
An internship is a career-related experience that enhances a student's understanding of their career field of choice while offering a directed learning component to the experience. ALL MAJORS are strongly encouraged to gain career experience in their field of interest prior to graduation.
The internship may or may not be for academic credit (that is strictly determined by each academic department - see your Advisor). Some internships are paid, and some are not. Some are full-time positions for a semester, two semesters, or even a full year, while others are part-time and take place concurrently while the student is enrolled in other classes.
Career Services offers many excellent resources for finding internships in a wide range of career fields. For starters, check out Wildcat JobLink, Internships.com, as well as Field-Specific Web Resources. In addition, visit campus Career Fairs and Events to meet face-to-face with top employers from around the country. Many of these employers are recruiting for interns as well as full-time professionals.
To interview with top employers for internship positions through UA Career Services you must be registered in the Campus Interviewing Program. Registration is FREE for students seeking internship opportunities. For more information, visit the Campus Interviewing Program webpage. Call 621-2546 if you have any questions or problems getting registered.
What is a COOP?
COOP is short for "Cooperative Education," a type of very structured internship program that became popular in the 1980's and is still in limited use today. You can think of a COOP experience as a very structured internship. COOP experiences take place in a limited range of organizations, usually federal agencies and/or their contractors, and some few private companies often in the high tech or financial services industries.
COOP employing agencies may require that the student participate in an alternating semester scenario (one semester at school, one semester onsite with the employer, etc) or the COOP experience may run concurrently with the student's academic coursework.
Some employers that offer COOP experiences recruit at The University of Arizona through Career Services, however the majority of students participating in COOP experiences find opportunities through the individual organization's Web site. In other words, if you want to do a COOP experience with NASA, check their Web site to see if they offer such a program. Also, be sure to utilize the resources listed above for finding internships. Remember, a COOP is a type of internship and are often listed with them.
If you would like to interview for COOP opportunities through UA Career Services you need to register with the Campus Interviewing Program. For more information, visit the Campus Interviewing Program webpage.